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AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION BOARD

HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

CLASS XI EXAMINATION

MAY 2012

Geography Paper I

Time allowed: 40 minutes Marks 30

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read each question carefully.
2. Answer the questions on the separate answer sheet provided. DO NOT write your answers on the
question paper.
3. There are 100 answer numbers on the answer sheet. Use answer numbers 1 to 30 only.
4. In each question there are four choices A, B, C, D. Choose ONE. On the answer grid black out
the circle for your choice with a pencil as shown below.

Candidate’s Signature

5. If you want to change your answer, ERASE the first answer completely with a rubber, before
blacking out a new circle.
6. DO NOT write anything in the answer grid. The computer only records what is in the circles.

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1. One of the accepted definitions of geography is ‘geography is the study of the

interrelationships between man and his

A. family.
B. wealth.
C. resources.
D. environment.

2. If the R.F. of a map is 1:100,000, the equivalent line scale in metric unit is

A. 1cm : 100 meters.

B. 1cm : 750 meters.
C. 1cm : 1 km.
D. 1cm : 5 km.

3. Of all the methods used in showing relief in maps, contours are best because they can depict

I. shape.
II. gradient.
III. height.
IV. density.

A. I and II
B. III and IV
C. I, II and III
D. I, II and IV

4. Weathering is the

A. removal of the top soil by the surface runoff.

B. breaking down of rocks in situ.
C. removal of rocks by rivers.
D. breaking down of rocks and its removal by the wind.

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. When magma cools below the earth's surface, the resulting rock is coarse grained.
B. An example of a coarse- grained igneous rock is gneiss.
C. When lava cools on the earth's surface, it forms igneous rock.
D. An example of a coarse- grained sedimentary rock is sandstone.

6. Which of the following statements is the best definition of soil?

A. Soil is a mixture of organic matter, inorganic matter, water and air.

B. Soil is a mixture of rocks, decayed leaves and organisms.
C. Soil is a layer of loose material covering the land surface.
D. Soil is the topmost layer covering the earth's land surface.

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7. The rapid movement of finer material after heavy rainfall is

A. landslide.
B. mudflow.
C. soil creep.
D. weathering.

8. Vegetation prevents soil erosion because it

A. stops wind.
B. absorbs water.
C. holds the soil together.
D. stops the flow of water.

9. Soil texture is important for a good growing soil because soil must

A. let water and air enter and leave the soil.

B. not let water and air leave the soil.
C. let water enter and air leave the soil.
D. let air enter and water leave the soil.

10. The process of forming crystals from dissolved minerals usually occurs in shallow water
because

A. precipitation is greater than evaporation.

B. condensation is greater than evaporation.
C. evaporation is greater than condensation.
D. evaporation is greater than precipitation.

11. Volcanoes are usually found on tectonic boundaries where plates

A. move towards each other.

B. move away from each other.
C. slide past each other.
D. overlap each other.

12. The thickness of the earth's crust is

A. between 65 and 70 km.

B. between 6 and 70 km.
C. between 10 and 15 km.
D. more than 30 km.

13. Which of the following features is the result of folding?

A. Mountain range
B. Floodplain
C. Volcano
D. Plateau

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

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14. What is a fault?

A. An earth movement
B. A vent in a volcano
C. A fracture in rock strata
D. A volcanic eruption

15. Which of the following is NOT a factor that influences the volume of a river?

A. Size of the drainage basin

B. Permeability of rock
C. Presence of vegetation
D. Rate of melting of snow

16. The diagram shows part of a coast

What was the sequence in the formation of feature X?

A. Cave – headland – arch

B. Arch – stack – cave
C. Stack – arch – cliff
D. Notch – cave – arch

17. Along coastal areas that are made up of well – jointed rocks, which erosional process is likely
to be the dominant one?

A. Attrition
B. Corrasion
C. Hydraulic action
D. Solution

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18. The diagram below shows the course of a river. What are the THREE features labelled I to III
respectively in the diagram?

I II III
A Source Mouth Tributary
B Tributary Mouth Source
C Mouth Tributary Source
D Source Tributary Mouth

19. Deposition of load occurs in all the following conditions EXCEPT

A. when one side of the channel is shallower.

B. when the river is turbulent.
C. when the gradient of the river channel increases.
D. when the river enters a lake.

20. What is the process by which fine particles are carried along without touching the river bed?

A. Saltation
B. Solution
C. Suspension
D. Traction

21. The knocking of rock fragments against each other in the water is called

A. corrosion.
B. attrition.
C. solution.
D. hydraulic action.

22. Land which projects into the sea, usually with a cliff is called

A. an arch.
B. a bay.
C. a headland.
D. a spit.

PLEASE TURN OVER THE PAGE

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23. While travelling in an airplane our ears pop due to change in

A. altitude.
B. pressure.
C. weather.
D. temperature.

24. The energy that moves through space is called

A. kinetic energy.
B. potential energy.
C. radiant energy.
D. chemical energy.

25. The process of pushing warmer air upwards is called

A. conduction.
B. convection.
C. radiation.
D. transpiration.

26. The percentage of nitrogen in the air is

A. 72 %
B. 76 %
C. 78 %
D. 79 %

27. On steep hill slopes where the forests have been cleared, heavy rain may cause whole chunks
of earth to collapse. This is called

A. soil erosion.
B. earth flow.
C. landslide.
D. rock fall.

28. Methods of conserving mineral resources include all of the following EXCEPT

A. recycling scrap metals.

B. using non-metal substitutes.
C. reusing metals for multiple purposes.
D. increasing the specific gravity of minerals.

29. The elements of the physical landscape include all of the following EXCEPT

A. animals.
B. vegetation.
C. landforms.
D. water.

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30. The food-gathering and hunting way of life eventually gave way to farming mainly because

I. there was need for a permanent supply of food.

II. women found it too tedious to gather food in the open.
III. men were frequently killed by wild animals.
IV. the farming system could support a bigger population.

Which of the following are the correct reasons?

A. I and II
B. I and IV
C. II and IV
D. I, II and III

END OF PAPER
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